Sport program chaptering

Abstract

In certain implementations, a method consistent with the invention involves at a television receiver device, receiving a television program depicting a sports program, where data associated with the sports program is represented in a score graphic that is displayed on a television display overlaying images of the sports program; storing the television program depicting the sports program; analyzing the score graphic to identify a change in at least one element of data displayed in the score graphic from one video frame to a subsequent video frame; and storing a chapter mark associated with the time that the change in the element of data displayed in the score graphic occurred. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method, comprising:
 at a television receiver device, receiving a television program depicting a sports program, where data associated with the sports program is represented in a score graphic that is to be displayed on a television display overlaying images of the sports program; 
 where the television receiver device is tuned to a selected television network, and where a location on the television display where the score graphic appears is determined by matching the displayed image to one or more template used by the selected television network; 
 storing the television program depicting the sports program; 
 analyzing the score graphic using optical character recognition and pattern matching to identify a change in at least one element of data displayed in the score graphic from one video frame to a subsequent video frame; 
 storing data associated with the time that the change in the element of data displayed in the score graphic occurred, where the display change is identified by optical character recognition and pattern matching analysis, and where the data includes an actual time of occurrence of the change in the element of data displayed in the score graphic where the change in the element of data displayed in the score graphic is identified by optical character recognition and pattern matching analysis; 
 playing the stored television program; 
 filtering the data change in the score graphic display according to at least one filter criterion to determine a category of event associated with data change in the score graphic display; 
 upon receipt of a signal generated by a viewer action, jumping to a point in playback time associated with the mark that occurs at a time prior to a score graphic event time that is offset from the actual score graphic event time by an offset time, and where the score graphic event record meets the at least one filter criterion; and 
 where the at least one filter criterion is selected by a user from a menu of events that the viewer chooses to use as chapter marks. 
 
     
     
       2. A method, comprising:
 at a television receiver device, receiving a television program depicting a sports program, where data associated with the sports program is represented in a score graphic that is to be displayed on a television display overlaying images of the sports program; 
 where the television receiver device is tuned to a selected television network, and where a location on the television display where the score graphic appears is determined at least in part by matching the displayed image to one or more templates used by the selected television network; 
 storing the television program depicting the sports program; 
 analyzing the score graphic to identify a change in at least one element of data displayed in the score graphic from one video frame to a subsequent video frame, where the change in the at least one element of displayed data is identified by optical character recognition and pattern matching analysis; 
 storing an event record associated with the time that the change in the element of data displayed in the score graphic occurred, where the change in the at least one element of displayed data is identified by optical character recognition and pattern matching analysis; and; 
 upon receipt of a signal generated by a viewer action, jumping to a point in playback time that is prior to and offset from the time that the change in the element of data displayed in the score graphic occurred by an offset time. 
 
     
     
       3. The method according to  claim 2 , where the event record represents an actual time of occurrence of the change in the element of data displayed in the score graphic. 
     
     
       4. The method according to  claim 2 , where a chapter mark is derived based on the offset time proceeding the time of the event record. 
     
     
       5. The method according to  claim 4 , further comprising playing back the stored television program, and upon receipt of a signal generated by a viewer action, jumping the playback to the chapter mark. 
     
     
       6. The method according to  claim 5 , further comprising filtering the data change in the score graphic display according to at least one filter criterion to determine a category of event associated with data change in the score graphic display. 
     
     
       7. The method according to  claim 6 , where the jumping is to a point in time associated with a chapter mark that meets the filter criterion. 
     
     
       8. The method according to  claim 2 , where the analyzing comprises optical character recognition analysis. 
     
     
       9. The method according to  claim 2 , where the analyzing comprises pattern matching analysis. 
     
     
       10. The method according to  claim 2 , where analyzing the score graphic comprises determining a type of action that occurred in the sports program. 
     
     
       11. The method according to  claim 10 , where the prescribed time offset is established on a basis of the type of action determined by the analyzing. 
     
     
       12. The method according to  claim 2 , further comprising filtering the data change in the score graphic display according to at least one filter criterion to determine a category of event associated with data change in the score graphic display. 
     
     
       13. The method according to  claim 12 , where the at least one filter criterion is selected by a user from a menu of events that the viewer may wish to chapter mark. 
     
     
       14. The method according to  claim 2 , further comprising identifying elements of graphics or text data within the score graphic. 
     
     
       15. The method according to  claim 2 , where the analyzing the score graphic is carried out during reception of the television program. 
     
     
       16. The method according to  claim 2 , where the template is received by the television receiver device or stored at the television receiver device in a database of known score graphic templates. 
     
     
       17. A non-transitory computer readable storage device storing instructions which, when executed on one or more programmed processors, carry out a method according to  claim 2 . 
     
     
       18. A device, comprising:
 a television receiver receiving a television program depicting a sports program, where data associated with the sports program is represented in a score graphic that is to be displayed on a television display overlaying images of the sports program, where the television receiver device is tuned to a selected television network; 
 a processor; 
 a storage device storing the television program depicting the sports program under control of the processor; 
 the processor determining a location on the television display where the score graphic appears is determined at least in part by matching the displayed image to one or more templates used by the selected television network; 
 the processor analyzing the score graphic to identify a change in at least one element of data displayed in the score graphic from one video frame to a subsequent video frame, where the change in the at least one element of displayed data is identified by optical character recognition and pattern matching analysis; 
 the processor storing an event record associated with the time that the change in the element of data displayed in the score graphic occurred, where the change in the at least one element of displayed data is identified by optical character recognition and pattern matching analysis; and 
 upon receipt of a signal generated by a viewer action, the processor being programmed to jump to a point in playback time that is prior to and offset from the time that the change in the element of data displayed in the score graphic occurred by an offset time. 
 
     
     
       19. The device according to  claim 18 , where a chapter mark is derived based on the time proceeding the time of the change in the element of data displayed in the score graphic by the offset time. 
     
     
       20. The device according to  claim 19 , where the jumping comprises jumping to a chapter mark. 
     
     
       21. The device according to  claim 20 , where analyzing the score graphic comprises determining a type of action that occurred in the sports program. 
     
     
       22. The device according to  claim 21 , where the prescribed time offset is established on a basis of the type of action determined by the analyzing. 
     
     
       23. The device according to  claim 18 , where the analyzing comprises optical character recognition analysis carried out in the processor. 
     
     
       24. The device according to  claim 18 , where the analyzing comprises pattern matching analysis. 
     
     
       25. The device according to  claim 18 , further comprising the processor retrieving and playing back the stored television program, and upon receipt of a signal generated by a viewer action via a user interface, jumping the play to a point in time associated with a chapter mark. 
     
     
       26. The device according to  claim 25 , further comprising filtering the data change in the score graphic display according to at least one filter criterion to determine a category of event associated with data change in the score graphic display. 
     
     
       27. The device according to  claim 25 , where the jumping is to a point in time associated with a chapter mark that meets the filter criterion. 
     
     
       28. The device according to  claim 18 , further comprising filtering the data change in the score graphic display according to at least one filter criterion to determine a category of event associated with data change in the score graphic display. 
     
     
       29. The device according to  claim 28 , where the at least one filter criterion is selected by a user from a menu of events that the viewer may wish to chapter mark. 
     
     
       30. The device according to  claim 18 , where the analyzing the score graphic is carried out during reception of the television program. 
     
     
       31. The method according to  claim 18 , where the template is received by the television receiver device or stored at the television receiver device in a database of known score graphic templates.